The Stars
‘The Xidan district…that was where we young poets and artists got together. Strangers are fused by the sympathy of fate…a simple sentence; express your feelings in your own words’. This quotation from the article of poet Yang Lian perhaps best describes the atmosphere of The Stars art movement. In the context of numerous democracy movements budding up in a time of change; The Stars came together as the first ever contemporary art movement in China, campaigning for freedom of expression in the arts. ‘In politics we want democracy in art we want freedom’ were the characters painted on their banners as they marched. His work in this period found its roots in a visual diary he began during a time of great suffering and chaos. He later developed these drawings in to oil paintings and collages.
Protest for Freedom of Expression
The First Stars Show
Stars Protest 1st October 1979
Second Stars Protest 1980
